Keith Thurman keeps it all simple, including his plan for beating Danny Garcia
The man who might replace Floyd Mayweather Jr. as king of the welterweight division Saturday night drives a Prius and has been known to walk around by himself in the cities where he’s fighting.
“I was never big on entourages. I’ve always been someone who does things on his own. I like to travel and go places on my own,” unbeaten World Boxing Assn. champion Keith Thurman said.
“I just enjoy life in a way where I like being my own person. I like the freedom boxing has provided me, and I like to have people who I can trust around me. There’s no need to make it complex when it’s no longer simple.”
Florida’s Thurman (27-0, 22 knockouts) will fight a welterweight title unification bout against unbeaten World Boxing Council champion Danny Garcia (33-0, 19 KOs) at Barclays Center in New York’s Brooklyn.
The pursuit of welterweight superiority is a solitary endeavor in the ring. Outside of it, Thurman relies on a tight circle of supporters that is considerably smaller than Mayweather’s “The Money Team” entourage or the massive throng that flocks to Manny Pacquiao.
Before a 2009 fight in Quebec City, Thurman walked by himself to see landmarks, and even after his title defense against Shawn Porter last summer, he sat with two other people on a block wall outside his Brooklyn hotel, waiting for a ride to the airport.
Thurman’s avoidance of an entourage is rooted in the lessons of the late trainer Ben Getty, who befriended a young Thurman while working as a school janitor.
“He’s the one who said I’d be the champion I am today,” Thurman said. “And he always told me, ‘Don’t forget where you come from.’
“The hype men might try to build you up, but you know you’re a great fighter if you’re a great fighter. The love feels good from outsiders, but it’s like when people say no one’s going to love you like your mother. Ben believed in me when I was a little boy, when no one else was around, so it’s why I wear his name on my trunks every time I step in the ring. I want the world to know they’re watching a Ben Getty fighter.”
An extension of that is Thurman’s effort to protect purse money.
“Every kid knows those athletic stories. It’s hard when you make a lot of money. It’s hard not to want to spend it, especially when you feel it’s going to be an everlasting journey,” he said. “I’ve spent money on gold chains, on cars, but I still drive around town most in my 2012 charcoal Prius. It’s undefeated like me: zero tickets. My Mustang has them all. The Prius gets me from Point A to Point B, so….”
That simple approach also applies to this pressure-packed fight.
“Hit him more times than he hits you. It’s boxing,” Thurman said. “Danny deserves respect, he had a tremendous amateur background, he’s always ready to fight. Champion of the world, has more victories than me, and is trying to dominate the welterweight division. It’s my job to stop it.
“I look forward to the challenge and putting him through the Keith Thurman test. I expect bombs to be dropped. I expect us to hurt each other. We’ll see which one wants to be more conservative and protective first, and which one wants to box the other the most. I have a little reach advantage and I plan on not following Danny’s fight plan. Make it an awkward night with speed, power, agility.”
CBS will televise the card at 6 p.m. Pacific time.
Twitter: @latimespugmire
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